Subscribe to YourTango newsletter

Community: What Mad Men Teaches Us About Love

So, as anyone who talks to me knows, I watch a lot of TV and have many favorite shows. However, due to some scheduling conflicts and an lack of cable, I was unable to watch the full season 3 of Mad Men until now. I know, sacrilege! But, I am healed, as I have recently finished season 3 and like a woman on crack, watched all I could get my grubby hands on of season 4. Driving The Mad Men Wild

I think that there are key dating lessons to be learned here, from our close friends at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce, and they are the following (in no particular order):

1. A drink, or 10, before a date can make things seem better. Or, make it easier to hook up with your secretary. We are clearly on board, as I think Jess and I have both mentioned that before going on a date, it’s helpful to take a (medicinal) drink! Now, while we are not really proponents of hooking up where you work, if you are going to do it, a decanter of whiskey by your desk will probably make things easier! Drinking On A Date: How Much Is Too Much?

2. There is still romance in writing. As we saw Betty Draper flirt with Henry via snail mail, it warmed out hearts and reminded us that dating can have an added flair when cards/letters are exchanged. It’s nice to have things in writing, no?

3. If you hook up with the next door nanny, make sure to check with her employers first. Ahhh, Pete, thanks for giving us this wise lesson. Apparently, cheating on your wife isn’t the problem, it’s really that you don’t want to upset the nanny so much that she leaves. Definitely a lesson to live-by when choosing who to randomly hit on. 10 Things Not To Say To A Co-Worker Crush

4. If you accidentally hook up with a work colleague, you can smooth things over without directly mentioning anything. In Don’s case, with $100 in cash, a meaningful look, and a glossed over thank for “being kind.” Not that we recommend the cash, but meaningful looks and thank yous never go out of style!

5. Wow, we really don’t have a number 5 here. I mean, it feels like we should, but the stability of dating/marriages on Mad Men is not really, on second first look, so great. The romantic relationships on that show — if we had to make a random metaphor-style comparison, and we do — are mostly like sad melted ice cream on our incredibly accurate Dating and Relationship Dessert Ranking Scale (patent pending).

Do you lovely readers have any Mad Men related dating tips (or disasters) to share? Please impart your wisdom in the comments! Please also visit us at www.citygirlsworld.com

11. She's classy as f*ck.

12. She would be a warrior princess!

"I feel like young girls are told that they have to be a princess and fragile. It's bulls*it. I identify much more with being a warrior—a fighter. If I was going to be a princess, I'd be a warrior princess. Definitely."